Lotus and Cherry
by Majorkami
Summary: SakuraLee, currently one-sided with hints.(cha 1)Set on the day of Lee's operation, which is also when Sasuke goes missing. Sakura walking Lee to the hospital. (cha 2)set directly after the mission to retrieve Sasuke. Lee's take on love. Some NarutoHinata
1. I don't expect anything from you

Author's note: set on the morning that Tsunade sends the five guys to retrieve Sasuke (anime episode 118-119ish, somewhere around there.). This happens to be the morning of the same day that Lee is scheduled to have the operation to fix his injuries from the Gaara fight.

I'd like to take the opportunity to thank Hard Work Genius for getting me back to the clipboard. It was her last review that motivated me to get a move on and turn some of the ideas I had into a story.

As always, R & R is greatly appreciated, no matter how small or flame-like the comment is.

* * *

He'd spent the morning wandering the village he called home, as if seeing its simple beauty for the first time. Even with the lingering damage from the attack during the Chuunin exam Konoha was still a place that spoke of life. When Lee had started walking that morning, after he and Sakura had seen off the team leaving to retrieve Sasuke, and after the weeping Sakura had run from the gates, it had been aimlessly, wishing that he had the mobility to run after her. He had been hoping to encounter Sakura again if he walked long enough, and at least do what he could to comfort her. 

The other reason for the walk had become apparent once he'd been at it for half an hour. He was nervous; his operation was scheduled for noon of that day, and if anything went wrong then this would be the last time he'd see Konoha. That thought had prompted him to commit the entire village to memory.

As he walked further he'd realized just what a peaceful, yet vital place Konoha really was; homes that had stood for generations, the bustling market, children playing ninja. And he'd managed on his walk to borrow some of that peace for himself. The operation would succeed, just as his sensei said it. Though a slight sense of trepidation remained in the back of his mind.

Now nearing the time for the operation, Lee was walking to the hospital when he heard a voice behind him.

"Lee-san."

A smile split his face as he turned, recognizing the voice.

"Sakura-san."

Sakura stood near the corner of the side street she'd come from, looking very much like she was lost. Lee's grin faded as he took in the red rims around her lovely green eyes and the tear marks down her cheeks. She looked like she had spent the entire morning crying her eyes out.

"Are-are you okay?" he asked, feeling stupid even as he said the words. _Of course she's not okay,_ he thought,_ but I have no idea how to make her feel better. The only one who can do that is Uchiha._

Sakura didn't answer the question directly.

"Can I walk with you awhile?"

"Of course."

Sakura took a place by Lee's side and the pair started walking in the general direction of the hospital.

"I got sick of moping around at home and figured a walk might help. Are you going anywhere in particular?"

"The hospital. We can take the long way though."

"I don't want you to be late—"

"I want to spend time with you, Sakura-san. Don't worry about it."

They walked on in silence for a moment before Sakura asked, "So… what have you done with your morning? It has to be more interesting than mine."

"I was going to spend it training, but after what happened at the gate decided to walk around the village."

"Why?"

"At first I was looking for someone, but then I got to enjoy the walk. I hadn't realized what a beautiful place Konoha is."

_Though not as beautiful as you,_ Lee almost said, but bit his tongue. Sakura hadn't liked it when he had been that straightforward before the Chuunin exam.

"It's just wood and glass," Sakura replied, "There's been too many bad things happen here for it to be beautiful."

_Like what happened to the Third, and Sasuke,_ Sakura thought,_ and what happened to you too, Lee-san. How can you call this place beautiful when you're in so much pain?_

"I mean look around," she continued, a slight tremor entering her voice, "There's broken windows, broken walls, broken families… how can Konoha be beautiful?"

"It's not the wood and glass that make Konoha beautiful," Lee responded, "It's the people still living here despite all those broken things. Konoha makes beautiful people."

He looked meaningfully at Sakura when he continued, "Some of the people it makes are more than beautiful."

At that statement Sakura glanced quickly over at Lee and away again, a small blush creeping across her tear-stained cheeks. Inwardly Lee was ecstatic. _I did it! I gave Sakura a compliment without her getting mad at me!_

It was another moment before either spoke again.

"Still… you're going to make your leg worse by walking on it so much."

Lee smiled in response, though it was not his normal sparkling grin.

"Once I get to the hospital today I won't have to worry about my leg anymore. Tsunade-sama is fixing my injuries today."

"Nani? That's great news! Why didn't you tell me?"

"The only people who know are Tsunade-sama and Gai-sensei. I didn't want anyone else to worry."

It was then that Sakura picked up on Lee's lack of his normal explosive enthusiasm.

"Worry? What is there to worry about?"

Lee sighed. He had hoped not to tell anyone the odds until after the surgery had been successful. At the same time, he refused to lie to Sakura.

"I'm going in for an operation that has a 58 percent chance of succeeding."

"Oh, um… do the odds improve for the second attempt if the first one fails?"

They had reached the hospital, but Lee stopped at the gate. Even though he really did not want to answer, it felt wrong to dodge the question on the off-chance that he never got to see her again.

"There won't be a second attempt. If it fails I'll die."

Seeing a suddenly stricken look come over Sakura's face, Lee continued hurriedly, "But it's going to succeed, I know it will—"

He stopped talking and stiffened with surprise when Sakura pulled him into a tight embrace. The girl was shaking, and he could already feel a wet spot forming on his shoulder where her chin was resting.

"Why did all this have to happen?" she sobbed. Lee gently put his arms around her, his crutch falling to the ground unnoticed as Sakura continued "Why do bad things happen to people I care about? Why did Sasuke have to be marked by Orochimaru? Why did he have to leave? Why? Why?"

She sniffled before finishing, "Why do you have to go through all this pain?"

The words _why am I the only one who has to go through this?_ flashed through Lee's head as he remembered the day before when, in much the same state that Sakura was in now, he had appealed to his sensei for the same answer.

"I asked Gai-sensei the same thing yesterday," he told her, unable to hold back a few sympathy tears of his own. It was painful to see Sakura like this, to feel her shaking like a twig in a gale and not be able to do anything about it. He unconsciously held her a little tighter as he continued, "He didn't answer directly, but as we kept talking I realized that some things just are. They happen."

He swallowed to get rid of the lump forming in his throat before continuing, "But we don't have to let them happen without doing anything about it. We can work to change bad things, and if we work hard enough we can overcome them. With enough hard work anything can get better. That's why I know this operation will succeed."

"How can you be so sure? Only 58 percent…"

Sakura's hug tightened to the point where the pressure made the sore spots in Lee's half-healed back twinge, but he paid no attention to the pain. If holding him that hard made Sakura feel even the slightest bit better then he'd let her break his back rather than push her away.

"I don't want you to die," he heard her voice murmur from somewhere near his ear, "You've been a good friend… Lee-kun."

Lee felt a swell of joy at Sakura's words.

"Then it's impossible for me to die," he replied, now sounding wholly confident. Sakura pulled back to look Lee in the face in surprise while he continued, "Because if I die then I can't be that good friend to make you smile again, and—whoa!"

Lee had discovered his crutch to be missing and stumbled. He caught hold of the gate with one hand as Sakura grabbed him again to stop him from falling.

"—and I want to see you smile again," he chattered on totally unfazed as Sakura retrieved his crutch. "Arigato. Do you have a dream?"

Sakura was stunned by the abrupt change of topic, but replied, "I thought I did, but now…"

She looked down briefly.

"…not like Naruto's or Sasuke's, or yours. Why?"

"You'll be happier if you have a dream to work towards. The moment you have a dream to fulfill just tell me and—"

Lee moved into the 'nice guy' pose and gave Sakura his trademark grin.

"I will help you achieve your dream, no matter what it is!"

_Even if it's to be with Sasuke. If that makes you happy then I'll help find him. I love you too much to keep you from him if he makes you happy. Even though he doesn't deserve an angel like you._

"Lee-kun, I… thank you. Oh, there's a nurse looking for you."

Lee half-turned and saw a nurse watching him from the hospital door.

"Then I'd better go before I'm late. Thank you for walking with me… Sakura-chan. Especially to here."

"Good luck."

Lee turned and took a step, then turned back to face Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, I love you. I don't expect anything from you, but I'm willing to do anything to see you happy again. Even try to make Sasuke-san love you."

Sakura stood there open-mouthed as Lee walked to the hospital door. As he was about to enter he glanced over his shoulder and saw Sakura still standing at the gate, watching him. He gave her a beaming grin, and was gratified to receive a small smile in return. All his previous trepidation was gone, in its place the memory of Sakura's arms around him.

_I'm going to come through this operation, and them I'm helping to get Sasuke back. Just to see you smile, Sakura._


	2. Love is too precious to deny

**Setting**: the Konoha hospital, after the mission to retrieve Sasuke. I referred to the manga before writing, so expect some spoilers.

**Author's note**: If all goes according to plan the next chapter will be from Sakura's point of view. This one follows Lee around because his whereabouts were not accounted in the same way Sakura's were in this particular section of the manga.

* * *

The Konoha hospital was bustling with activity when Rock Lee and Gaara of the Sand arrived there after their fight with Kimimaro. Neither really needed to be at the hospital, though Lee was sporting numerous cuts from his bout with the bone-wielding ninja, but given the level of their opponent the hospital seemed the most logical place to find out how the rest of the team had fared.

Lee was about to approach the busy front desk to ask after the other genin when Gaara said, "This way," and stode down the hall past the desk. At the far end of the hall, Lee noticed the older boy from the sand team—Kankurou, was it?—dozing off in a chair.

"Took you long enough," Kankurou said as the pair neared to a few feet, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Is Temari here as well?" Gaara asked.

"Yeah, she got here right before I did with their team leader. I would have beat her here except I had to carry Kiba most of the way."

Before Lee could ask, Kankurou opened one eye and glanced over at the leafnin.

"Relax, he'll be fine. He just lost too much blood to walk."

"What about the others? Is everyone back?"

"You guys are the last two." He opened the other eye and sat up slightly as he continued, "I saw that Naruto kid carried through here not too long ago by a white-haired jounin—he was beaten up pretty badly, but he should be fine—and your leader was in better shape then you are. The other two are in critical condition—especially the white-eyed guy. They don't know if he'll live."

"Neji's in critical condition?"

Lee was nearly in shock. _They don't know if he'll live?_ he thought. Despite their differences Neji was still his teammate, his friend even, when the genius wasn't acting like a fatalistic bastard.

"That's what I overheard. His room's down that way if you're inter—"

Lee started running down the corridor Kankurou was pointing to before the latter finished speaking. "Arigato," he called over his shoulder before rounding a corner. Around the corner he saw Hyuuga Hinata standing halfway down the hall, concentrating on one particular door. As he got closer he noticed the veins around the girl's eyes bulging. She was using her byakugan to look through the door.

"Is this Neji-san's room?" he asked. The girl responded with a nod.

"Has anyone said if he'll be okay?"

"The H-hokage's said he's s-stable now… he's sleeping."

"Good, because I just talked to a sandnin that said he was in critical condition and I was worried that he might, well…"

Lee trailed off. Hinata didn't seem to be listening.

"Why are you in the hall instead of visiting him?"

"The doctors s-said that Neji-niisan can't have visitors yet." Hinata replied with a sigh. His own concern ebbing somewhat now that he knew Neji was not in danger of dying, Lee noticed just how depressed the girl seemed. He was actually surprised that she was keeping watch over her cousin now, considering how brutal Neji had been to her during the Chuunin Exam, but then remembered how Neji had been slowly, but surely changing since his bout with Naruto. Perhaps his behaviour towards Hinata had changed also. _I hope so. She seems like a gentle person._ He studied the girl, staring at the closed door like a kunoichi statue and thought, _She'll drive herself crazy staring through that wall for too long. I've got to get her to move around for a bit._ If he couldn't visit his teammate, then the least he could do was take care of his teammate's cousin until he could.

"How about you come back here later to check on him, Hinata-san? Come on a walk with me to visit some of the others. I'm sure Neji-san will be able to have visitors by the time we get back. Is there anyone else you want to see?"

"Um… Kiba-kun and N-Naruto-kun," the girl said, blushing slightly as she said the second name, "But… I don't know where their rooms are…"

"I'll help you find them then. It won't be that hard. There isn't a hospital in existence that can defy the combined skills of a Hyuuga genius and the Green beast of Konoha!" Lee replied, striking a pose he'd learned from Gai. Hinata didn't respond verbally, but with a nod and a very small smile she started walking down the hallway with the green-clad boy. The smile didn't last long though.

"I-I'm no genius…"

"What are you talking about? Of course you are. I watched your bout with Neji during the exam, and you fought well, even though Neji won in the end."

Lee gave Hinata a sidelong glance and continued, "With enough work you could beat him next time."

When the girl didn't look convinced, he said, "And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Naruto said you were incredible during that fight."

Hinata looked up quickly at Lee in shock and then away, cheeks reddening.

"H-he ch-cheered for me…"

Although he didn't know the shy girl well, Lee began to wonder if her sudden change in complexion had less to do with being complimented and more to do with a certain blond. With that in mind, he replied, "He sure did! He also came down and tried to attack Neji for the way he treated you during the match. I had to stop Naruto or there would have been another fight right there. Did anyone tell you what he did after that?"

"…no."

"He swore to beat Neji for what he did to you. I'm sure that during his round against Neji he was fighting at least partly for you."

"And he won…" Hinata murmured, a smile coming to her lips. _She definitely likes Naruto,_ Lee thought, _but I doubt she's said anything yet._ Her smile, oddly enough, also reminded Lee a bit of the smile Sakura had given him as he entered the hospital that morning for his operation. He found himself suppressing the urge to wonder if Sakura had come to the hospital earlier to check on him.

"Um… can I ask you a question, Lee-san?"

Hinata's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Of course! Whatever it is I'll try my best to answer."

"H-how do you know if you love someone?"

Lee blinked rapidly in surprise. _Why would she ask such an important question of a near-stranger? _Before he could come up with an answer Hinata blurted out, "I'm sorry, I was n-near the h-hospital this morning and overheard you talking to Sakura-san and—"

She broke off nervously until Lee prompted her, "And?"

"W-where did you get the courage to s-say something like that? I want to tell someone but I don't know how he feels…"

"Would you still want him to be happy even if he hated you, or the only way to make him happy was to let him spend his life with someone else?"

Lee stopped walking and looked straight at Hinata as he continued, "Is that person's happiness more important to you then your life?"

Hinata studied the ground for a while, brow furrowed in concentration, before she found the answer to Lee's questions. The nervousness seemed to leave her as she met Lee's gaze and said, "Yes."

"Then you truly love him. It doesn't matter what he thinks of you after you tell him. I know it hurts, to love someone and not have them love you in return, but love is too great and beautiful a thing to be denied because of pain. And even if the one you love doesn't love you the pain eases as you focus on trying to make them smile. You then become happy when they are happy, and in time the one you love will notice you."

Lee gave Hinata a small, almost embarrassed smile as he continued, "Sakura-chan wouldn't even talk to me when I noticed her for the first time—except to yell at me for being too 'unique'. But over time she has begun to acknowledge me as someone who cares about her."

The smile turned wistful.

"I don't know if she loves me—I don't know if she'll ever love me, but every moment I see her smile is precious to me. Every time I'm able to make life a little easier for her it makes me happy."

The wistful smile transformed into a confident grin as he finished, "And with enough hard work, anything is possible."

The pair started walking again as Lee asked, "Did that help at all, Hinata-san?"

The white eyed girl nodded, then asked, "What should I d-do n-next time I see him?"

"Tell him you love him. Don't worry about what to say after that; the rest of the words will come naturally to you after you say 'I love you.' And afterwards even if he says that he hates you work hard to make him happy. Don't ever give up—not ever. Even if it takes years he will eventually think of you as someone who cares about him, and will come to care about you."

"Hey, have either of you seen Shikamaru?" a voice said as they rounded a corner. It was Ino. "They just told us that we can visit Chouji and he—what happened to you, Lee-san? You're bleeding!"

"Just a few scratches. I went to help with the mission as soon as I got out of surgery."

Before Ino could cut him off he continued, "We'll tell Shikamaru-san about Chouji if we see him. Do you know where Kiba's and Naruto's rooms are?"

"I don't know about Kiba's, but Naruto's room is at the end of the hall over there," the blond kunoichi said, pointing to a corridor branching off into another wing of the hospital. She fixed Lee with a decidedly wolfish grin as she said, "Last I heard Sakura-chan was going to visit him too. Maybe you'll run into her."

Lee's whole face lit up at the prospect of seeing Sakura.

"Arigato, Ino-san! Come on, Hinata-san, let's go!"

He set a brisk pace down the hall, which Hinata matched without complaint since she was also excited to see Naruto. The pair arrived at the right door moments later and Lee knocked.

"Come in!" the voice of Konoha's loudest ninja came from inside the room. Lee opened the door and allowed Hinata to enter first, then walked in expectantly—

And deflated almost immediately. Instead of a pink-haired angel, Naruto's visitor was a dark-haired chuunin.

"Naruto said that you followed us," Shikamaru started, before the kyuubi boy cut him off.

"Hey Fuzzy Eyebrows, shouldn't you see the medics before you go strolling around the hospital."

"I wanted to make sure Hinata-san found your room first." Lee said before Hinata stepped closer to the bed.

"I-I didn't know where your room was a-and Lee-san offered to help me. I w-was w-worried about you."

"You don't need to worry about me, Hinata-chan," the blond replied with a foxy grin, "I can't become Hokage if I die first. But it was nice of you to come see me."

Hinata's blush at Naruto's words confirmed what Lee had already deduced while talking to the girl earlier—that Naruto was the person Hinata was in love with. _I've got to clear out and take Shikamaru with me to give Hinata her chance,_ Lee thought, then remembered what Ino had told him.

"Ino-san was looking for you, Shikamaru-san. Apparently Chouji can have visitors now."

The normally lethargic boy all but jumped out of his chair, "Arigato. Naruto-kun, if you don't mind—"

"Get going. Tell Chouji-kun I said hi." Naruto replied with a smile. Shikamaru was out the door in an instant.

"I should go too." Lee said.

"Yeah, go see a medic. Old lady Tsunade will yell at you if she catches you walking around like that. Hinata-chan's still here to keep me company for awhile, right?"

As Lee opened the door he looked back at the now very nervous-looking Hinata and flashed her the 'nice guy' smile. _You can do it, Hinata-san. Good luck._ Hinata responded with a nod and the barest trace of a smile.

He slipped out into the hall and quietly shut the door as Hinata sat down on the end of Naruto's bed. _Okay, now to find Sakura-chan and try to cheer her up. She's got to be upset, one teammate in the hospital and the other one who knows where—_

"Rock Lee! I should have known it was you!"

A middle-aged nurse whom Lee had become familiar with during his rehabilitation stormed down the hall.

"I find a blood trail criss-crossing all over the hospital and follow it expecting to find some poor disorientated person with a head injury and instead I find a silly shinobi without the common sense to get his wounds treated before traipsing all over the hospital—and who should still be in bed to begin with, might I add—you better come with me and get those cuts fixed before I tell the Hokage on you. Goodness knows she was mad enough as it was when she found you missing—"

The nurse continued her tirade as she grabbed Lee by the collar and started towing him to the nearest treatment room.

* * *

R&R if you please, and I'm always open to suggestions for future chapters. And if things really go well for me I might be writing a companion fic to this one that centres around Gai (still background researching at present). 


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